Dog-racing apparatus



Ma y'7, 1929. P. J. CULLERTON DOG RACING ABPARATUS Filed Sept.- 1a, 19265 Sh ets-she t May 7, 1929.

-P. J. CULLE RTON DOG RACING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 18, 1926 0 3Sheets-Sheet 3 JzZkrZo &2 m

' Patented May 7, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK J. CULLERTGN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO ELECTRIC HOLDINGCORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

DOG-RACING APPARATUS.

Application filed September 18, 1926. Serial No. 136,244.

This invention has to do with the apparatus used in connection with dograclng,

and is particularly concerned with the means employed i'or causlng theartlficlal rabbit or remote point the amount of current fed to thedriving motor of the car. After the dogs have circled the course once,or have traveled any other predetermined distance, their relativepositions are noted by the judges and the race is over.

The dogs, however, are still intent on getting the rabbit, and theproblem is to dispose of the latter. Various methods have been tried,such as drawing a curtain across the course in front of the dogs, orswitching the car onto a side track in order to carry the rabbit into ashelter out of sight of the dogs, but there have been certain objectionsto all such methods.

The principal object of this invention is to provide improved means forcausingthe rabbit to escape.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident upon afull understanding of the construction, arrangement and operation of theapparatus,

One form of the invention" is presented.

herein for the purpose of exemplification, but it will beappreeiatedthat the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other structurallymodified forms comin equally within the comprehensive scope ot theappended claims. 7

I11 the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a dog racing course constructed in accordancewith the invention; j

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the rabbit-propelling mechanism,taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view, taken on theline 33 of Fig.1; r

Fig; 4 is a similar view, taken on the line H of Fig. 1;

edge of the course.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the arm which supports the rabbit, showing thearm in extended position, as in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a similar view, showing the arm in retracted position, as inFig. 4:;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the railway traclr housing at the pointwhere the extension to the-roof of the housing commences; and r Fig. 9is a side view of that portion of the housing shown in Fig. 8.

As Will be observed in the drawings, the course 10 is in the form of anoval, and the narrow gauge railway track 11 about which the car 12travels extends about the inner The track 11 is at a lower-level thanthe course, and is covered over by a low housing 13. The roof 14 of thehousing is supported by adjustable tie rods 15 from upright posts 16arranged at intervals along the inner side wall '17 of the housing, andthe outer edge 18 of the roof projects slightly over the inner edge ofthe course and is held by the tie rods 15 in such position as to leave asmall opening 19 between the edge 18 of the root and the course. on anarm 21 which is carried by the car 12 j and projects laterally out overthe course through the opening 19 in the housing.

The dogs to he raced. are placed in individual compartments provided ina starting box 22, and a barrier in the form of a single upwardlyswingingor sliding door in the front of the box common to all of theconipartments raised to release the dogs in pursuit of the rabbit. Justprior to the release of the dogs, the rabbit is caused to travel about aportion of the course behind the barrier iuorder to attain the desiredspeed, and, when the rabbit reaches a position in front of the barrier,the dogs are released. The rabbit is caused to circle the course at ahigh rate of speed, and is kept a uniform distance ahead of the dogs byan operator who observes the relative positions of the rabbit and thedogs from an operating room located at somehigh point, such as at thetop of a pavilion at one side ot the course. After the'rabbit and thedogs have lapped The artificial rabbit 20 is mounted the course, therelative positions of thedogs r are noted as they cross the finish line23, and

escape tunnel formed by a narrow exten-' sion 21on the edge of the roof.The front- ;end of the extension 24 merges gradually into theedge 18 ofthe roofof the housing to avoid any abrupt abutments on the housingagainst which the dogs might injure themselves. Thefouter edge 2.5 oi'the exten- ,sion is provided with two curtains 26 and 27 which depend:therefrom; the curtain beingbrushed aside momentarily by the rabbit asit enters the tunnel beneath the extension 24, and the curtain 27serving as a blind to conceal the rabbi effectively from the dogs afterentering the tunnel.

The dogs slow up when the rabbit disappears, and are brought to a stopby the ;p. 1 es ence.of acurtain 28 drawn across the course. ,Thecurtain28 rs not necessary, but

is desirable as it serves to herd the dogs to gether. During the race,the rabbit is not.

caused to shift laterally into a position close- Y 1y adjacent the edge18 of the root when it 9 approaches; the extens1on'24, as alter thecompletion o't the race, but passes the extensionoutwardly of thesame,the arm 21 brush ng the curtains 26 and 27 upwardly as 'mnch asnecessaryin order to pass there be th, l

- Jlhe means for causing the rabbit to shift laterally and enterthe-escape tunnel at a certainpoint ,in its travel after passing thefinish line. consists of atriplever 29 which ispivote'd beneath thehousing to the wall formedfby-the inner edge of the/course, as

I ment thereor" about thecourse.

shown inFigs. 3 and 'The arm 21 on whichtherabbit is mounted is arrangedto telescope into a tube 30 'secured to a bracket, ,3l-on'th'e car 12,and two springs 32 tendto retract the arm into the tube. The springs 32are connected on opposite sides of the arm'and tube between the oppositeends of a cross member 33 on the tube and a rabbitattaching plate34on'the arm, and, in additionto' retracting the rabbit at the desiredtime, serve'to steady the arm after the fHSlllOIL of stays during therapid move- During the race, the arm. 21 is ,maintained in its extendedposition againstthe, action of the springs 32 by means of a latch-35.

. The latch 35 is'pivoted to a bracket 36 on the tube 30, andis providedwith a pin 37 which extends through an opening; in the bottom gOfi thetube and into a position against the end ofithe arm 21. Another portion38 of the latch extends downwardly for coaction with the trip lever 29.The latch 35 is normally held in its operative position by means of aspring 39 which tends to maintain the pin 37 against the end of the arm21.

\Vhen the car 12 approaches the trip lever 29, the lever presses theportion 38 of the latch 35 laterally and causes the pin 37 to Withdrawfrom behind the end 01'' the arm 21, whereupon the arm 21 is shiftedlaterally into the tube 30 by the springs 32 and into a position whereinthe rabbit 20 will travel into the escape tunnel provided by theextension 24; on the roof of the housing. The engagementof the triplever 29 with the latch 35 not only serves to permit retraction of thearm 21 by the springs 32, but also dislodges the lever 29 from ashoulder -11) formed in the bracket 41 supporting the lever, and, whenthe lever is thus dislodged, the camming portion thereof shiftsdownvmrdly against another shoulder 42 in the bracket 11 under theinfluence of a spring 43, in which latter position the cumming portionof the lever 29 is out of the path of the portion 38 0? the latch 35 andwill not trip the latch when the car 12 again passes that point on thetrack 11. The trip lever 29 is thus automatically rendered inoperativeafter it causes retraction of the arm 21, and is re-sct manually bypulling on a rope 13, but only after the car 112 has passed that pointonthe track during the first part of the next race.

I claim:

' 1. In dog racing apparatus, a guide rail arranged along one side ofthe course, a carriage mounted on the rail, an arm projecting from thecarriage over the course for-carrying a lure, an escape tunnel ui rangedalong a portion of one side of the course, and means for shifting thearm with the lure thereon laterall relative to the can rialge into a.position w iercin the lure will travel into the escape tunnel.

2. In. dog racing apparatus, a guide rail arranged along one side of thecourse, a carriage mounted on the rail, an arm projecting from thecarriage over the course for carrying a lure, an escape tunnel arrangedalong a portion of one side of the course, and means for automaticallyshifting the arm with the lure thereon laterally relative to the car-'riage at a predetermined oint in the course into a position whereint 1elure will travel into the escape tunnel.

3. In dog racing apparatus, a guide rail arranged along one side of thecourse, a carriage mounted on the rail, an arm projecting from thecarriage over the course for carrying a lure, an escape tunnel arrangedalong a portion of one side of the course, means for automaticallymoving the arm with the lure thereon laterally at a predetermined pointTil till

in the course into a position wherein the lure will travel into theescape tunnel, and means for automatically rendering said last mentionedmeans inoperative after it has functioned.

4-. In dog racing apparatus, a housing along one edge of the course, atrack within the housing, an electric car mounted on the traclr, an armprojecting laterally from the car through a slotin the housing forcarrying a. lure, an escape tunnel arranged along a portion of theslotted edge of the housing, means tending to retract the arm to aposition wherein the lure will travel in the escape tunnel, a latchassociated with the arm for preventing such retraction, and means forreleasing the latch at a predetermined point in. the travel of the car.

In dog racing apparatus, a housing along one edge of the course, a trackwithin the housing, an electric car mounted on the track, a two parttelescopic arm projecting laterally from the car through a slot in thehousing for carrying a lure, means tending to retract one portion of thearm within the other, a latch associated with the arm for preventingsuch retraction, and means for automatically releasing the latch at apredetermined pointin the travel of the car.

6. In dog racing apparatus, a housing along one edge of the course, atrack wlthin the housing, an electric car mounted on the track, aretractable arm pro ecting laterally from the car through a slot in thehousing ranged on opposite sides of the arm for re tract-Eng the same, alatch associated with the for carrying a lure, two outwardly convergingcoil springs arranged on opposite sides of the arm for retracting thesame, a latch associated with the arm for preventing such retraction,and means for automatically releasing the latch at a predetermined pointin the travel of the car, said means upon functioning being renderedinoperative to again release the latch until manually reset.

8. In dog racing apparatus, a housing along one edge of the course, atrack within the housing, an electric car mounted on the track, an armprojecting from the car over the course for carrying a lure, anextension to the housing projecting over the course throughout a portionof the length thereof, a curtain hanging from the edge of the extension,and means operable at will when the car passes a certain point on thetrack for causing the arm with the lure thereon to move laterally andride beneath the ex tension and behind the curtain, whereby to concealthe lure from the dogs.

9. In an animal race course, in combina tion with a housed track, a lurecarriage movable over said track, a shaft, means sup porting said shaftfor transverse sliding movement on said carriage, a lure carried by theouter end of said shaft, releasable means for holding the lure inextended position beyond said housing, and means for laterally movingthe shaft and lure to re tract-ed position Within the housing when saidholding means is released.

10. In an animal race course, in combination with a housed track, a lurecarriage movable over said track, a shaft, means supporting said shaftfor transverse sliding movement on said carriage; a lure carried bytheouter end of said shaft, and means for laterally moving the shaft andlure to retracted positionwithin the housing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

PATRICK J. CULLERTON.

